The present invention relates to an electronic gaming terminal apparatus and method and in particular to a gaming terminal which includes a bonus and/or attract system configured to increase the interest and/or entertainment value of the game for users.
Players of electronic gaming terminals typically have a wide variety of options available. For example, in a casino setting, there are typically hundreds of different games available to players at various gaming terminals. Casinos and other game operators are advantageously provided with systems which initially attract players quickly to gaming terminal and/or encourage players to continue playing at a gaming terminal. Such features not only are believed to enhance the overall entertainment of players during a trip to the casino (e.g. by maximizing the amount of time spent playing games) but also to enhance casino revenues by decreasing the percentage of time that various terminals may be idle. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide effective systems to assist in attracting and/or retaining players at gaming terminals, preferably in a manner which is relatively inexpensive to design, fabricate, implement and maintain.
Various approaches may be used for attracting players to terminals. In some cases, gaming terminals provide visual (including video) and/or audio or other sound input which attract interest or attention. It is believed that at least some players are attracted by a perception that a gaming terminal, not currently being played, has a relatively high likelihood of providing a prize. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system which can both provide an attractive audio or video display and provide an impression or perception of an increased likelihood of winning a prize, but preferably without substantially increasing the cost of operating such terminals or systems.
Some gaming terminals include both a main game (which is the game initially played in response to input of a game wager) and a bonus feature (which is different from the main game). A number of different bonus features are possible, some bonus features providing a monetary or other prize output and some bonus features including an audio or video display or output. Some bonus features are substantially single-event features, i.e., in response to entry of a bonus mode, the player receives a bonus prize and, thereupon, the bonus feature is terminated. It is believed that many single-event bonus features provide less player interest and entertainment than is potentially available and accordingly it would be useful to provide bonusing features which include multiple steps or events before the bonus feature is terminated.
In one game, a bonus is achieved only after progressing sequentially through a series of stages or positions to a final bonus position, with progression continuing only as long as sequential outcomes of the main game include a predefined bonus symbol or outcome (i.e., such that any game outcome lacking the bonus symbol, before the bonus is achieved, resets the bonus system to the initial stage or position in the bonus arrangement). It is believed that such a system may, at least for some players, provide less than optimal interest or entertainment value and accordingly it would be usefull to provide a system in which the award of a bonus prize does not require an unbroken sequential series of main game outcomes containing the bonus symbol or bonus outcome completely until the final and ultimate bonus award stage is reached.
According to one aspect of the invention, player interest is enhanced by a system which provides an attract or other display which is coordinated among two or more different gaming terminals. For example, an arrangement of a plurality of, preferably commonly-themed, gaming terminals (e.g., racing car theme terminals) can be configured to coordinate displays so as to simulate the display of a racing car moving from terminal to terminal, apparently racing around a ring of terminals, or the like. Preferably, the attract display is also coordinated with a prize to be provided by one of the terminals in the group, e.g., providing a perception that the attract display is indicative of an enhanced probability of the prize award among the group of terminals participating in the display.
In one aspect, the bonus feature involves progressing through a sequential plurality of stages or positions on a display with at least an ultimate position being associated with a (preferably relatively large) bonus prize. In one embodiment, additional prizes amounts are associated with one or more intermediate positions. In one embodiment, any accumulated bonus amounts are awarded at the termination of the bonus feature regardless of whether the ultimate stage or position has been reached. In one embodiment, the bonus feature is terminated by the occurrence of a specific termination or xe2x80x9cbustxe2x80x9d symbol, e.g., in the main game or in the bonus feature. In one embodiment, the lack of the appearance of a bonus symbol in the main game does not result in termination or re-setting of the bonus feature.
In one aspect, the bonus feature defines a plurality of selectable items or positions which are collected in two or more groups (such as two or more rows or other arrangements of selectable items) such that selection of an item associated with a xe2x80x9cnext groupxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cnext rowxe2x80x9d symbol must be selected for the player to be able to select among items in a different group. In one embodiment, at the termination of a bonus feature, the items or stages in the bonus feature are repositioned or reconfigured so that the arrangement of each bonus feature is different from previous bonus features.
In one aspect gaming terminals or systems with bonus prize or other prize features increasing user interest or entertainment are provided. In one aspect, a plurality of gaming terminals have their displays or other inputs coordinated with one another preferably to provide an impression of linked operation, particularly to provide an impression of increased likelihood of bonus or other prize award. In one embodiment, a bonus prize or feature involves movement among an ordered plurality of positions or stages without needing to forfeit all bonus prizes in the event of a non-bonus-symbol outcome in a main game. In one aspect, a plurality of bonus items are provided with a user being able to select only among a subgroup of the plurality of bonus items at any one time.